Key EU leaders to hold videoconference with China's Xi

Key European Union leaders have a video conference scheduled with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week to discuss issues ranging from climate change to the coronavirus pandemic. Many EU member nations are seeking access to the Chinese market for their companies.

Key European Union leaders have a video conference scheduled with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week to discuss issues ranging from climate change to the coronavirus pandemic. The EU said in a statement Wednesday that Council President Charles Michel will chair Monday's conference with Xi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

The video summit will also include trade issues. Many EU member nations are seeking access to the Chinese market for their companies. In the past months, EU officials have stressed the need to maintain good ties to China, a growing economic, political and military power, as relations with the EU's old ally, the United States, have been strained during the Trump presidency.

Germany had planned to host a summit in September with all EU leaders and China, but that event was recently postponed due to the pandemic..